DAIRY PRODUCTION

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 February 1930, Page 8

DAIRY PRODUCTION

OUANTITV A RECORD CpMMENT ON CJHEESE QUALITY SOME FACTORIES AVAR NED. With several months of the dairying season still in front of the primary producer, the indications are that it will be a. record one for the production of butter and cheese in New Zealand. That there is good reason for this promising outlook was shown at a, conference of the Manawatu Dairy Factory Managers’ Association in Wellington on Thursday (says the “Dominion”), when the Assistant-Director of the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture, Mr. W. E. Gwillim, quoted the increase shown in the grading figures for the first seven months of the season. Some pointed remarks on the quality of some of .the cheese manufactured were also made by Mr. Gwillim. ‘ ‘We are again in the happy position of being able to' congratulate the dairy farmers on a record production of butter and cheese,” said Mr. Gwillim. “For the seven months—August to January—of the current dairy year the product,ion of butter and cheese as indicated by ■ the grading figures and expressed in terms of butter-fat shows an increase of 5.9 per cent, over the corresponding period of the previous year. The figures for the previous period were the highest on record at that time. The quality of the butter graded this season has been well maintained and the average for the year will probably be well ahead of last year.” Mr. Gwillim went on to say that some fine lines of cheese had come to hand, hut the quality of many lines left much to be desired However, it was expected that the average for the year would show a fair improvement over that of the previous year. “For some time the average quality of cheese has not been on the same high plane as the average quality of butter,” he said. “Both butter and cheese is graded on the basis of the same point® for equal quality. The averages are therefore comparable. In round figures the cheese for the past two years has averaged about one point lower than the butter. About two-thirds of the butter has been finest grade and the proportion of finest grade cheese has been slightly less than one-third. Moreover, during the year 1926-27, when the Dairy Board arranged a premium for finest grade cheese, the proportion of fine grade cheese was between 54 and 55 per cent. During the past two years the proportion has declined to 30 per cent.

HIGHER QUALITY ARTICLE. It therefore appeared evident, stated Mr. Gwillim. that those who dealt in butter had a higher quality article to sell than those who dealt in cheese. That was possibly the main reason why New Zealand cheese gave less general satisfaction than the butter. A reduction in the quantity of finest grade cheese from 54 per cent, to 30 per cent, in two years was a matter for some concern. Further, to have 75 per cent, of finest grade butter, and only 30 per cent, of finest grade cheese suggested that New Zealand had a rather weaK grip on the cheese trade. Butter producers, with few exceptions, had long since satisfied themselves that butter must be of the highest possible quality to ensure the most profitable returns, and had made finest grade their objective. AVith cheese producers the conviction that finset grade was the grade to aim lpr did not appear to have gained the same hold. There were perhaps many reasons for this.. For many years, he said, there bad not been tlie same urge to produce high quality cheese as obtained in the opening years of the cheese industry. At that time, competition for the trade was exceedingly keen, and makers strove to produce the highest class of cheese and succeeded. The principles of cheese-making were rigidly adhered to. and the best practice followed, notwithstanding the fact that much that was now known about cheesemakiug was not known then.

G ENERAL SHORTAG E. “For the last two or three decades,” continued Mr. Gwillhn, “the matter of quality lias received less attention, and this, to some extent, may be attributed to the general shortage of cheese. Cheese producers have been called upon to do little more than supply Britain with sufficient cheese to make up the shortage from other supplying countries. To have met this shortage is a great and remarkable achievement, and is to the busting credit of the enterprise of our'dairy farmers. The realisation of the need for better cheese is bound to extend, and we have been pleased to learn that some dairy companies have instructed their managers to aim for better quality. Quite recently we were advised that cheese graded lately were better made than the cheese graded at the same centre at the same time last season.”

Referring to the standardising of milk for cheesemaking, Mr. Gviliim said it should tend to remove the craze for yield and its attendant evils. Standardised cheese, to prove entirely profitable to producers, had to be well made. Some had oome 10 hand evidencing poor workmanship and the makers were given to understand that' unless better cheese were made the company might he called‘upon to cease manufacture. It might be remarked that over 9-5 per cent, of the cheese graded was manufactured by cooperative dairy companies. It would therefore be seen what a powerful influence the producers could exert in connection with cheese quality. “The work of our graders and lit id officers,” concluded Mr. Gwillnn, “keeps us in touch with most matters bearing on the quality of butter and cheese, and in addition the work being carried on by our dairy bacteriologist at Wallaceville is assuming increasing importance. Investigations are proceeding all the time, and all results capable of practical application are promptly passed on.”